When I returned to attending Mass after I had my first child, I did feel a bit lost. I kept going because I wanted my children to learn about my faith. My late husband hadn’t been baptised into any faith but came along with me. Gradually we began to feel more at home in this church and we had a lovely priest who helped us grow spiritually. Eventually my husband was baptised, confirmed and our marriage was convalidated.
I think what brought us even closer to God was attending a series of Life in the Spirit lectures and we also joined a prayer group which met weekly. This prayer group had been established in the 70s during the renewal era in the church and had kept going even though members did change.
It was this group that has seen me through difficult times in my life. I became friends with the leaders and often met up with them outside of the group and also with other members. When difficult things occurred in my life, I really felt cocooned and loved.
Going to Mass is very important as we receive grace from God every time we attend, but I do think that belonging to a prayer group and meeting up with other members of the church outside of the Mass is also important.
If you don’t have a group in your church or want to start a new one, there are lots of materials online. The Wednesday Word is an example and you can go through the readings for the following Sunday’s Mass together. You can get a lot more out of them by doing this. In Mass we are sometimes distracted and not listening and it is surprising how much extra you can glean from the passages. It only needs ‘2 or 3 gathered in my name’.
Having godly friends and role models does make a difference. They can keep you going through rough times, especially when you feel a bit lost and are struggling to cope.
Matthew 18:20
‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them’.
God bless,
Widows Mote 